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Brad Kearns

In today’s episode I welcome track star Sue McDonald to the show!

Sue is no ordinary track star—she is shattering world records in the masters track and field arena going where no human has ever gone before in her age groups and putting out unbelievable times at 61 years old! This mother of three from Santa Barbara, California, is virtually on world record watch every time she competes, and I had a great visit meeting her personally in her home environment and finding out the secrets of what is possible when you take care of your body and you dedicate yourself to training and competitive goals and literally defy the aging process. Regardless of whether you’re interested in trying to challenge Sue or take down her records, it’s great to realize what’s possible when you continue that dedication to peak performance and setting challenging goals and having a wonderful consistent training regimen.

In this episode, Sue describes her lifestyle and her training regimen as “boring”, but what you get out of that is the realization that these little things do really count every single day—and that you can get better even as you age chronologically. I can’t think of a more inspiring guest to have you reflect on your own lifestyle and your own personal goals. Instead of just sitting back and telling stories about how things were so great back in the day, Sue is doing things that will just blow your mind and in a variety of events: she’s an elite sprinter, middle distance runner, and a multi-event athlete with things like High Jump and Heptathlon. Join me and Sue in Santa Barbara for this awesome conversation to learn some of her secrets and get inspired to go out there and set your own goals!

TIMESTAMPS:

Brad Introduces this inspiring guest, a 61-year-old champion track and field athlete. Most people talk about what it was like back in the day, but this woman is still doing it. [01:14]

What is a heptathlon for women? [05:22]

After nearly qualifying for the Olympics in college, she left competition for a while, but returned. [08:43]

She set the American women’s high jump record when she was 55 years old. [10:20]

She had a time with the pole vault as well. [11:44]

Between the ages of 32 and 50 she was doing endurance activities. [14:40]

The main reason people do Masters Track and Field is the friendly supportive atmosphere of the other participants. [19:42]

Sue has many world records, including the steeplechase. [20:26]

How does she manage the training necessary when she is the mother of three and is age 61? [21:58]

Consistency is the most important concept. [24:21]

The possibilities of recovering from stuff that usually requires surgery and debilitation are actually amazing. [33:29]

What are some of the other things she does to be the best athlete? The main thing is focusing on sleep. [38:12]

Most Americans gain a pound a year from age 25 to 65.  How does Sue manage her diet? [39:49]

There is no reason to stop athletic activities as we age. [52:01]

Did Sue get nervous back when trying out for the Olympics? Now? How does she manage the mental pressure? [58:06]

LINKS:

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TRANSCRIPT:

Brad (00:00:00):
Welcome to the B.rad podcast, where we explore ways to pursue peak performance with passion throughout life without taking ourselves too seriously. I’m Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, former number three world-ranked professional triathlete and Guinness World Record Masters athlete. I connect with experts in diet, fitness, and personal growth, and deliver short breather shows where you get simple, actionable tips to improve your life right away. Let’s explore beyond the hype, hacks, shortcuts, and sciencey talk to laugh, have fun and appreciate the journey. It’s time to B.rad.

Sue (00:00:38):
For people that do struggle with like nutrition, I think you just kind of like gauge how you feel. Like if you eat something and you don’t feel that great afterwards, then like, just note that in your brain and, okay, last time I ate that way I kind of bad that way, you know? Yeah. Like, I felt this way, you know? So just kind of put those two together and so I just eat so that I feel good. Yeah. And I’m properly fueled and I’m not, I don’t get it right all the time. Like I told you at lunch, you know, sometimes I get it wrong and I’m like, oh, I’m really lethargic. Why is that? Like, let me just eat some more food. Oh, I feel great now. You know, so sometimes you get so busy with the busy lifestyle that it just

Brad (00:01:14):
Hey. Listeners, my next guest is a track star, Sue McDonald, but no ordinary track star. She is shattering world records in the masters track and field arena going where no human has ever gone before in her age groups and putting out these unbelievable times. And she’s virtually on world record watch every time she competes. She’s now 61 years old. Mother of three from Santa Barbara, California. Had a great visit meeting her personally up there in her home environment and finding out the secrets of what is possible when you take care of your body and you dedicate to training and competitive goals and literally defy the aging process. So I think regardless of whether you’re interested in lining up in a lane and trying to challenge her, take down her records it’s great to realize what’s possible when you continue that dedication to peak performance and setting challenging goals and having a wonderful consistent training regimen.

Brad (00:02:17):
She describes her lifestyle and her training regimen as quote boring. But what you get out of that is the realization that these little things do really count every single day what you do and that you can get better even as you age chronologically. So I can’t think of a more inspiring guest to have you reflect on your own lifestyle, your own personal goals. Instead of just sitting back and telling stories about how things were so great back in the day. You now have an arena, even if it’s just a personal goal, like wanting to climb a high mountain or, uh, run a faster time in the, in the mile when you challenge yourself once every couple months, uh, Sue is doing things that will just blow your mind and in a variety of events, which is so interesting. So she’s literally an elite sprinter and middle distance runner and multi-event athlete with things like high jump and heptathlon. Let’s sit down with Sue and Santa Barbara and hear her secrets and get inspired to go out there and set your own goals. Awesome conversation with Sue McDonald. Here we go.

Brad (00:03:20):
Okay, Sue McDonald. We did it. We found this beautiful location in Santa Barbara. We have a nice view of the ocean. We did. Viewers, you’re looking at a nice quiet area to sit down and we have a lot to talk about. In fact, we were communicating before and you said, what are we gonna talk about on the thing? I’m like, what are we gonna talk about? We got 12 world records to talk about and many other things. So it’s so inspiring to see what you’re doing at 60 61. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. Okay. So you’ve rid this, this older age group that is usually in the spectator category at track meets. I just watched the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon. And what do they put out on the, on the track? The exhibition Masters 800. You crushed it. The crowd was screaming for you. And this career that you’re immersed in now, um, I want to take it all the way back to your days as an elite collegiate athlete and then you’re still going strong, which is the best part. ’cause everybody’s got their stories of when they were great back in the day, but this, this journey’s gonna sit back and relax people. ’cause we got a journey to talk about. So I suppose we should start back in the valley where we’re both from and how you got into track and field and high school and college and where it went from there.

Sue (00:04:31):
Okay. Well it started at, uh, St. Joe High School in Panama City. So it was a Catholic high school. We had no track, so we had to go work out at LA Valley College. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, didn’t really have the best coaching there, pretty much like teachers or the PE teacher would be the coach. And so when we would go over to LA Valley, the coaches there kind of picked up, um, my, I guess they thought I had some potential and so they started recruiting me to go there. I eventually I did. And that’s kind of where everything kind of took off when I got some real coaching. And, so I kind of went into like doing like 400 meters the high jump and they thought, well she can do everything. Let’s put, make her into a heptathlete. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so that’s kind of where I kinda learned all the events and kind of at a higher level.

Brad (00:05:22):
So tell us the heptathlon events for this is the female decathlon. It’s seven is set of 10 events. Yeah.

Sue (00:05:30):
Uh, it’s a hundred meter hurdles. The high jump shot put 200 and the next day you come back and do the long jump javelin and 800.

Brad (00:05:38):
Whew. So those are some very precise technique skills in things like the javelin and the hurdles. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, but particularly good in the high jump.

Sue (00:05:48):
Yes. That was my best event. And, at the time my coach didn’t really know all the events either. So we would drive down to Long Beach and worrk with the Olympic coach at the time, Dave Rodda and he had a group of heta athletes that were training for the Olympic trials. This is in like 80, gosh, what was it? 1980, the summer Olympics.

Brad (00:06:10):
Oh, 84 was in la 84. Yeah, 88 was in, so Right. 84.

Sue (00:06:13):
So there was a group of people there working with him. Oh. Trying to qualify for the Olympics. And so I got to learn from all those women and a great coach. And um, so that’s kind of like how I got started in the Heptathlon.

Brad (00:06:25):
Yeah. So did you, you had Olympic dreams, like you, you know, your score and what your potential is and is that what you were looking to? I mean, at the

Sue (00:06:32):
Time I was only 18 and I was just learning all the events. So I think my score was like 5,600, no, maybe 5,300. Sorry. I think it took like 5,600 at the time to make the trials. So,

Brad (00:06:45):
So you were like a phenom outta high school. I mean, come on. You, you had seven events and you’re, you’re, you’re putting up numbers already.

Sue (00:06:51):
I had a long ways to go, but I was in meets with Jackie Joyner Kersee, and so that was like around the same time period. Right. So, um, it was very exciting when I did make the US nationals, I did make it in the high jump because, uh, I guess that was, once I started jumping six feet, I was able to go to go to nationals and then I would see all the pros and Jackie Joyner Kersee and, you know, I was a kind of starstruck. But, it was a just a really good, good time.

Brad (00:07:18):
Uh, so you were trying for Olympic trials and in high jump and, and Heptathlon I guess

Sue (00:07:25):
Mainly the high jump. ’cause I kind of started to focus on that since I was having success. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So in 88 I was trying to make the trials and the high jump, which I was really, really close, but didn’t quite make it. And so then I took a little bit of a break from track, but I always seemed to come back to it ’cause I just love it. It’s like home <laugh>.

Brad (00:07:45):
So, you jumped around six one and for people who are not familiar with the protocol, like you, you have to hit a certain mark or a certain time in every event, and then you qualify for the Olympic trials for US, then you can go attend that meet, which is the one we just attended last week in Eugene. But making that standard, I mean, it’s great to make the Olympic team and where us a but like, if you qualify for Olympic trials, that means you’re one of the elite athletes in America. Right. At whatever event it is. Right. So you were, you were just off that we, we, we would say you were inches away, but you were much less than that. Right? <laugh> like what centimeters?

Sue (00:08:20):
I needed to jump I believe 187 and I had jumped 186 the year before

Brad (00:08:28):
On centimeter. Yes. Right,

Sue (00:08:30):
Right. Um, so yeah. But you know, it was, it was still a good, you know, it was always good to like, just try your best and whatever happens, happens. But, um, you know, met a lot of great people along my journey and then later on came back to it <laugh>.

Brad (00:08:43):
Yeah. So you, you, you finished college and then you wrapped up your competition for a certain time and take us through some of those years. We can, we can, we can move quickly. But, that’s the most fascinating part is when you say you come, you come back to this thing that you did so long. Yeah.

Sue (00:08:58):
Well it’s funny because after I retired the first time from the high jump I did biathlons and triathlons.

Brad (00:09:06):
Oh my gosh. <laugh>.

Sue (00:09:07):
I had always admired people that did that. And

Brad (00:09:09):
I That’s so different though. I know there’s nothing that in none of your high jump skills are gonna help you out in the water swimming, getting your, your head, you know, beaten

Sue (00:09:17):
Up. Yeah. But it’s funny because like, I would always see these people like just going out for a jog and going out with their friends and jogging and, and I always had to do like short sprints Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and jumping and I kind of just longed to play that sort of life, you know, for a while. Wow. And so I remember at one of the Nationals championships afterwards, like after I was done, I’m like, I’m gonna go for a run. I think it was at the pretrial. And I’m like, I’m gonna go for a run. But anyway, so I, after I um, retired the first time from the high jump I started doing that kind of stuff and just kind of playing around with it. I never was really any good, but

Brad (00:09:49):
I mean, it’s pure endurance. Yeah,

Sue (00:09:51):
Yeah. Yeah. I learned a lot. Yeah. Like, like I learned a lot. I, I would, did not know how to, you know, um, fuel myself. Right. Hydrate. Yeah. I was getting sick, you know, it was just

Brad (00:10:01):
Awful.

Sue (00:10:02):
<laugh> I knew nothing about endurance

Brad (00:10:03):
<laugh>. So, I mean, you said you’re, you’re never any good. I mean, we, we know you to be very modest sitting here with your world record total accumulating every time we check in. Um, but were you, were you seriously just a middle pack, like a recreational endurance? Or did you have, did you have some flash out there? No,

Sue (00:10:20):
I think I was middle of the pack. Uhhuh <affirmative>? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. But once I turned 50 or right before I turned 50, I started looking at the records for like American Records. I wasn’t thinking World Records back then. Yeah. But I saw the American record for 50, I believe it was, um, 5’6″ six or

Brad (00:10:40):
In the high jump?

Sue (00:10:42):
5’3″, I can’t remember now.

Brad (00:10:44):
Pretty Good. Yeah. Either

Sue (00:10:45):
One. Yeah. I, I can’t remember. So don’t quote me on that. Yeah.

Brad (00:10:48):
Five three would be amazing for a female. Yeah.

Sue (00:10:51):
But I was 50. Right. So anyway, um, so I started training for that, thinking I could do that. And then, then I found out that, I don’t know if it was all that endurance training that like took away my bounce, but oh my God, I was a totally different person when I tried to come back and like, I used to open up at like 5’6″, 5’8″

Brad (00:11:09):
Yeah, sure. Tell me about it. Yeah.

Sue (00:11:11):
And now I can’t even make five feet, you know, so it was crazy. But I did end up getting the American record for 55.

Brad (00:11:20):
So your first foray right back was high jumping? Yes. Back to high jump. Yeah.

Sue (00:11:24):
Wow. That’s what brought me back to Masters. Yeah.

Brad (00:11:27):
Um, that’s funny ’cause I know a lot of ex basketball players when they’re 50 and they think they can still dunk and they go in and pull a hamstring. Yeah. You’re looking at some record on a piece of paper like, oh, I could do that. Yeah, you did it.

Sue (00:11:37):
I was so surprised. I did not have any speed. I didn’t have any bounce <laugh>, nothing. But that’s,

Brad (00:11:44):
What about the pole vault excursion in there? And back when you were in college, there was no pole vault for females, which is atrocious to remember that. And like Oh, that’s right. But then you did it later in adult life.

Sue (00:11:56):
Yes. Um, yeah, they, I was over at UCLA, um, I had a, an athlete I was working with in other events, uh, wanted to pole vault. And so I hooked her up with Anthony Corin at UCLA and he had a pole vault training club right there. And, um, he told me, ’cause I kind of knew Anthony and he knew me as a high jumper and he is like, Sue, you know, you really should try this because you can qualify for the, um, Olympic trials like next year and the first ever USA nationals for women’s pole vault. I’m like, oh wow, that sounds really exciting. ’cause I’d like to be a pioneer in something.

Brad (00:12:29):
So this is like late eighties or it

Sue (00:12:31):
Was 90 or something? 95. Oh

Brad (00:12:33):
My gosh. They didn’t have pole vault till 95 at his fifties.

Sue (00:12:36):
Oh. So 1995 was the first time they had pole vault at the USA nationals. Mm-Hmm. So I, um, I qualified for that. I did break my ankle pole vaulting like about six weeks before. And, um, it wasn’t a bad break, so I did compete and I had a few problems with that meet. But anyway, I made it through

Brad (00:12:55):
She almost people. Did you hear, did you realize she almost skipped this? Like, uh, she made it to nationals. How old were you?

Sue (00:13:01):
Let’s see. I was 32.

Brad (00:13:03):
Right. You were, you were the only one with a kid you said? Yeah. In, in the whole field. She’s the only one with the kid. Like no camaraderie whatsoever. She’s got like diapers in her bag along with her extra spikes. Oh my gosh. So yeah, this was like a mid foray before you got into masters track and 50 records. And it was, you

Sue (00:13:19):
Know how um, at that time, like soft lenses for contacts were coming in. Yeah. And I didn’t really know how to use it that well. And I think this is at Sacramento State, to be honest. But anyway, you know how I went to the bathroom to put my, I felt like my contact was coming out and I ended up putting two contacts in over each other. And so I was seeing double.

Brad (00:13:41):
Oh, wow.

Sue (00:13:41):
And that’s how I pole vaulted.

Brad (00:13:42):
Oh gee.

Sue (00:13:44):
Actually I don’t even know how I did. I know I cleared a height, but it was kind of challenging.

Brad (00:13:47):
What was the, what did it take to get to nationals?

Sue (00:13:50):
It took like 10 feet. Yeah. Yeah. They didn’t, you know, with it being so new for women, they didn’t really know what we were capable of and everyone was just learning it. So a lot of the people that were successful were, uh, ex gymnasts. Oh

Brad (00:14:01):
Yeah. Sure. And

Sue (00:14:03):
So then the next year for the Olympic trials, they picked the top 12 women in the nation. So basically just if you were top 12, you got to go. Yeah.

Brad (00:14:11):
Usually more would qualify. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So,

Sue (00:14:14):
Yes. But

Brad (00:14:14):
It was an exhibition. So new. Yeah. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. It was an exhibition in the Olympics. It wasn’t even legit Olympics yet. No. Until 2000. Right? Yeah.

Sue (00:14:21):
Wow. So I was seventh ranked, I think then I only jumped like 12′ 3″, which wow is not much, is not very high compared to what?

Brad (00:14:30):
It’s pretty good for a mom though. Yeah,

Sue (00:14:31):
I think so. They used to call me grandma. Oh.

Brad (00:14:34):
All the other girls. Goodness. Oh my goodness. At

Sue (00:14:36):
32. Yeah. Um, but yeah, so that was a fun time.

Brad (00:14:40):
So between 32 and 50 we were You’re doing the endurance stuff? Yeah,

Sue (00:14:44):
I went back, it’s um, um, road races. I did bike races. Mm-Hmm. I played around with road bike races. Mm-Hmm. And criterium and yeah. That was humbling. Um, oh yeah.

Brad (00:14:54):
<laugh>.

Sue (00:14:55):
Oh yeah. That’s a whole different ball game. Um, but, you know, it was something I wanted to try and there was a little group here, we formed a little women’s cycling tee Uhhuh <affirmative> Uhhuh <affirmative>. And until everyone started crashing and getting injured. Yeah. Um, yeah.

Brad (00:15:07):
That

Sue (00:15:08):
We

Brad (00:15:08):
Split up, sort, sort of loses its luster with Yeah. With those road rashes coming.

Sue (00:15:12):
Yes, yes. And um, so yeah. So then I was high jumping at a meet, um, in 2000 or 2015, and I tore my hip labrum at the plant.

Brad (00:15:25):
And this is how far into the high jump scene? How many years? Yeah. This

Sue (00:15:29):
Was, um, I had just, I think it was just a couple years. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> I think in 2013 I was, that’s when I started jumping again. And then, so two years into it, uh, I tore my hip labrum. I was able to compete in worlds, um, regardless and managed a second place. And then I thought I was done, you know, because you really should jump on a torn hip labrum on <laugh>. Yeah, sure. But, you know, I still high jump every so often, I just don’t train for it. Um, so I just do it. Maybe one question. That’s a

Brad (00:15:59):
I’m finding that to be a good strategy. Yeah. Don’t, don’t train that much for it. Don’t for just do it. You get hurt <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so that was your, that was your, um, your comeback event. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And then at some point it broadened into, uh, back to heptathlon type events and

Sue (00:16:14):
Not really, after that I thought, well, I shouldn’t high jump, so maybe I should just run, you know, maybe I could run in

Brad (00:16:21):
A straight line. Yeah. Run

Sue (00:16:22):
Straight line or do the marathon. Like check that one off my list. <laugh>. So, um, you’re

Brad (00:16:27):
All over the map. Yeah.

Sue (00:16:28):
I’m all over the map

Brad (00:16:28):
You’re taking your HighJump talents to the, to the marathon starting line. Yeah. Yeah. That doesn’t really fit. Like, you know, when LeBron said he was taking his talents to South Beach, we don’t need your HighJump talents here on the marathon. We need you to shuffle for Yeah. Many hours. Yeah. Was was because like, uh, wasn’t your husband a big Iron Man person too? Yeah. So

Sue (00:16:46):
Michael, you

Brad (00:16:46):
Had that endurance thing going

Sue (00:16:48):
Right? So Michael was a seven time Iron Man, and we met doing triathlons. So we have that, um, uh, history behind us. Uh, and uh, I just figured, well, what can I, you know, when you’re hurt, you’re like, well, what can I do? I need to do something. So I thought, oh, I’ll just, you know, do a marathon. I wanna qualify for Boston. And so <laugh>, so I did qualify for Boston, and then I realized training for it that my hip was hurting, you know? Oh yeah. Just like dull ache all the time. And so I thought, well, that’s stupid. I shouldn’t be doing all those miles. And so I cut back on the mileage and I did go ahead and did the Boston Marathon, which was in 2018, the, the worst weather in the history of Yeah, yeah, yeah. When it had hail. And so that was actually pretty comical. <laugh>.

Brad (00:17:34):
Did it cure you from your marthon thought?

Sue (00:17:37):
It did. I was done.

Brad (00:17:39):
It’s miserable. Yeah. and so then you, um, you saw an opportunity to get back and, and make track of your main focus.

Sue (00:17:47):
Yeah. So I thought, okay, now again, what can I do? What, what will this hip allow me to do?

Brad (00:17:53):
It’s not sitting still at home. We don’t have that on our, on our annual timeline. Wow.

Sue (00:17:56):
I have to do something. So I thought, what about middle distance? Like I was really good in the, in the, um, 800. So the eight hundred’s, the last event in the hip halfon. And I was always one of the best, even like amongst the elite, I was, I had like, I ran like a two 15.

Brad (00:18:10):
Oh my god.

Sue (00:18:12):
Pretty good for heptathlete. Oh, watch,

Brad (00:18:13):
Watch the Olympics people. That’s, that’s, there’s, there’s a few people faster than that. Yeah. Not many though. And,

Sue (00:18:19):
And then I had a lot of experience running the 400 meters Mm. And the four oh meter hurdles in college. Mm. So I also did that, um, at Valley College. And, uh, so I thought, well, maybe the 400 and 800. And then I, um, happened to just find someone on Facebook. Like my friend Leslie, who, who’s, she’s now one of my best friends. She had just broken three world records within a, I don’t know, a couple weeks in the 800, um, in the W 60 division. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> 800 and like the indoor mile and the outdoor mile. And, um, so then her husband started coaching me. Mm. And then everything kind of just took off from there once I started focusing on the 400 and 800,

Brad (00:18:55):
Um, you said W 60. So the divisions are every five years and they, so, so it’s W 60 is 60 to 64. Yes. W 55 would be 55 to 59 and so forth. Yes. Um, so the 55s is when you started to knock off some records Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> of, uh, assisted by the husband of the women who had the records before you. Is that exactly, is that where getting at? Yeah. And did they still invite you over for, uh, me too cocktail gatherings and, yeah. In

Sue (00:19:22):
Fact, it was funny because Tom Hines is, is Leslie’s husband, and he, you know, wasn’t coaching me anymore, but it was like, we just went to indoor nationals in Chicago. And, I was gonna go after the world record in the mile, and I asked him if he would, you know, time me. So he was, he’d giving me

Brad (00:19:37):
Splits, y some splits out. He was

Sue (00:19:39):
Giving me splits so that I could beat his wife’s record. Yeah.

Brad (00:19:42):
That’s cool. So yeah, I mean, I, we should stop for a little commercial here. Like the, the camaraderie and masters track is so amazing, and I’m just getting back into it and having, you know, just done a few meets in recent years. But like, everybody’s really supportive and like, I, I think there’s a vibe when you walk in that like, the fact that we’re able to enter and participate is so huge at, at our ages. And, um, everybody’s like celebrating each other Yeah. Just for participating. Yeah. And that’s really, um, that’s great. And, uh, you don’t see that in a lot of sports, but it’s definitely a big element of it. It is.

Sue (00:20:16):
That’s a probably the main reason why if you ask anyone that does Masters track and field, that’s the main reason why they do it. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> is the, the friends that they meet and Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> the experiences and

Brad (00:20:26):
.Yeah. Um, so this, this onslaught has been going on for since 2018 to, to present day in two different divisions. And, uh, how many world records do you, are you sitting on right now?

Sue (00:20:38):
Um, I think I have 11 <laugh>.

Brad (00:20:42):
What events? What? I mean, come on, throw ’em out. My

Sue (00:20:44):
Gosh. Okay. The indoor 400, indoor 800, indoor mile.

Brad (00:20:51):
Yeah.Mile

Sue (00:20:51):
And the outdoor 400, 800 mile 1500, heptathlon, steeplechase

Brad (00:21:00):
Is people counting horse

Sue (00:21:01):
Steeplechase.

Brad (00:21:03):
You see the steep steeple chase in there?

Sue (00:21:04):
Yes. I told you I like to do risky things, and I did a steeplechase last summer or last October.

Brad (00:21:10):
Nice. So it’s like if you enter an event, there’s a threat of a world, there’s a world record watch if you just show up <laugh>. Yeah.

Sue (00:21:16):
I don’t know. I, I can say that the steeplechase was the hardest track and field event I have ever done in my life. Mm.

Brad (00:21:22):
Yeah. You watch and you see people like eat it on the last barrier and you’re like, ha ha they fill in the water. But like, I can’t imagine going up to these barriers when you’re fatigued. Like

Sue (00:21:33):
Just, oh, and I didn’t train for it, so, you know, it was a 2000 meter steeplechase and I barely trained for the mile. Yeah. So, you know, you add the water, jump in the, the steeples and, uh, it was hilarious. I would like run up to it, almost come to a stop hurdle it.

Brad (00:21:48):
Yeah. Right. You gotta get over no matter what.

Sue (00:21:51):
And by like the last two laps, I was cussing at it each time after they’ve come to a barrier. Whew. It was, it was comical.

Brad (00:21:58):
Okay. So now some big questions are coming up and one of them is like, how the heck can you possibly manage this and the training necessary to run these fantastic times? And I think there’s sometimes a knee jerk reaction like, oh, she was a big jock in college. She was Olympic level pole vault and high jumper. But like, that was so long ago that I know you can look up some, uh, former competitors that are not exercising much now. And there’s, there’s no prayer of even jumping two feet in the high jump unless you’re really locked in. And so how did you like leverage that athletic talent that’s been there your whole life? And what is your daily regimen like these days?

Sue (00:22:40):
Basically it’s pretty boring <laugh>. It’s just all about consistency and just trying to stay injury free. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So like,

Brad (00:22:49):
Hey, that’s my number one goal too. Exactly. It’s, but before the world records she says, stay injury free <laugh>, then we start talking world records. Yeah, yeah,

Sue (00:22:57):
Yeah. ’cause I did have some injuries, you know, with the hip was kind of really aggravated for my first probably three years, like from 55 to 58. Yeah. It was really, I didn’t really know how to manage it. And so now I do certain exercises, um, that strengthened everything around the hip, that injured part. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So, uh,

Brad (00:23:17):
No surgery. No surgery. You just heal this thing with strengthening.

Sue (00:23:20):
Well, they don’t heal the, the Oh, labor don’t heal

Brad (00:23:23):
Themselves. Yeah. That’s, that’s why the people usually are end up hip replacement.

Sue (00:23:26):
Exactly. Yeah. Right.

Brad (00:23:27):
So you’re gonna, you’re gonna forget that.

Sue (00:23:28):
Well, it’s, it’s apparently it was a small enough tear where they didn’t recommend surgery and, you know, from the get go. And since then I’ve been able to, um, manage it basically. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and I think a lot, a lot of luck has to do with it. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I think that it’s, it’s just, you know, when I first started working with Terry Howell, my coach, he said, it’s, my training is not rocket science. It’s, it’s actually gonna be pretty boring. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And it’s just like, you just need to be consistent year after year. And he said, you’re gonna get faster your first year, and then you’re gonna get faster your second year and you’re gonna get faster your third year. So we’re coming up, next year’s gonna be my third year with him. So, so far he’s right. He’s been right on. So I’m expecting to get faster next year. Now maybe it’s gonna be in the 1500 the mile. Yeah. You know, but I don’t really feel like I’m losing my speed. Yeah. So I just don’t know

Brad (00:24:21):
<laugh> Well, I mean, what’s interesting is like nobody knows, and there’s really almost no history for someone defying aging in the manner that you and the other great Masters athletes are doing. And I think, man, they, they should have you at a university studying your, your blood work and everything else. There you go. I mean, um, everyone knows that chronological aging is real and you’re not gonna jump 6’1″ ever again. I’m sorry to say that. However, like getting faster from age 60 to 61 to 62 is mind blowing. I mean, like, everyone would love to know the secrets. So one of them was thrown out there if you’re taking notes, consistency and, you know, building on what you did last year, regardless of how many birthday cake candles. Yeah. Um, and so you’ve been at this pretty heavily for, well, for the running training and the areas where you have set the world records. This is like a, a six year timeline now or something. Yes. Before that you’re high jumping, getting injured, doing a marathon.

Sue (00:25:17):
Yeah. Doing like the 400, 800, 300 hurdles, you know, mile it’s been about six years.

Brad (00:25:23):
Yeah. And so you’re kind of in the category of, it’s a very, very rare double to be 400, 800 even you see in the elites. Yeah. I mean, the last person to do it in the Olympics is Rena in 1976. I don’t know about female 400, 800 doublers, but it’s weird because 800 is, requires a lot of endurance and the 400 requires a lot of speed.

Sue (00:25:44):
Yeah. It’s, it is very weird. I don’t know why. I just know that, you know, I was always very good in the 800 foot in the heptathlon and that’s gonna, if I hadn’t done the heptathlon, I probably wouldn’t even know Yeah. That I was any good in the 800. I remember in high school they made me do an 800 and I cried because <laugh>, you know, I didn’t had before

Brad (00:26:03):
High jumpers crying again. Yeah.

Sue (00:26:04):
<laugh>. Yeah. But now, you know, it’s all what you’re trained for. Um, but yeah, it’s just being consistent year after year and then being, like I said, building year after year, like when I first started out, I had just, I was only focused on the 400, so I didn’t have any endurance whatsoever. So when I first started out with Terry, I was doing like a 20 minute run three days a week. And that turned into a 25 minute run three days a week. And then once I got to 30 minutes, maybe we did, you know, three days and then four days a week. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Uh, so it was very, um, safe. Yeah. Way to, you know, accumulate the mileage. And, uh, last year I think I was doing in my, like I call my medium endurance runs maybe three to four miles this year. I do four to five miles. Ah. See how it’s like just one little mile extra and maybe three or four times a week. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> Next year I anticipate it’s gonna be five or six miles. I don’t know. You know, it depends on if we’re gonna focus on a little bit more on the mile Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> try to get my mile time down, um, or my 1500 meter meter time. ’cause you definitely need a little bit more aerobic capacity <laugh> than,

Brad (00:27:06):
Yeah. I mean there’s, there’s a lot of people out there even in, in, in the 60 plus that are jogging three or four days a week for 30, 40 minutes. So I’m gonna like cut to, how the heck can you run a 6:02 quarter? It’s not from jogging 20, 30 minutes, three to four days a week.

Sue (00:27:24):
Yeah. Um, I think, well Terry does a, like a really good job at blending in the speed. Like for instance, like yesterday I told you I did, uh, a 600, which was like a a mile pace. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And then, uh, a 300 at 800 meter pace. And then the 200 was kind of in between four and eight mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, uh, pace. And, but, and then it was like three, one fifties at the end. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So you see that that 200 and the one fifties is blending in the speed. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, like, we always kinda like touch on it. And I might have some workouts maybe earlier in the season where it’s more strength-based. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, uh, but most of the time he, uh, he, he makes sure that I at least have some speed in there. And then I always do strides. So I’m really big on strides or I call ’em fresh runs where you do like eight to 10 strides, like maybe 20 seconds long or a hundred meters long. And, um,

Brad (00:28:16):
In the middle of your, at the end of your, at

Sue (00:28:19):
The end of my run, it’s like, so if I do three or four miles or four or five miles, then I’ll do strides afterwards. And that really, you know, works on your leg turnover.

Brad (00:28:26):
And how many did you say? Eight to 10. Yeah. So that’s a, that’s a little strenuous. Yeah. And, um, um, Steve Magnus talk about this a lot in his recent book, Science of Running. And it was interesting for me to read this because we’ve always thought in these black and white terms and these templates, like this is periodization and you have your base face and then you do your speed. And he was kind of blowing up a lot of those notions saying like the body, there’s, there’s, you can, you can stipulate fitness adaptation in the body in a variety of different ways, including running strides at the end of what’s supposed to be a slow jaw. Yeah. So, and then, then like when you say, um, Terry’s tapping it in or, or, or leaking it in Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, um, it’s literally true. Yeah. Like you’re training different energy systems in a, hopefully a, a strategic manner where you don’t fall apart and Right.

Sue (00:29:09):
Yeah. Well if you think about too, like the fresh runs, if you do ’em correctly, you’re really only supposed to have like a 22nd rest. So you basically just like safely slow down, turn around to start over again. And if you think about it, that’s like a thousand meters of Yeah. Aerobic work. Yeah. And, but you’re also, you’re thinking about correct running forms. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So it’s a good way to cool down. Like that’s my cool down Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> instead of just the slog jog. You know, like people just, like, usually people go, oh, I’m gonna go run like a mile to cool down and they’re just like, you know, just shuffle jogging. Yeah. Whereas I’m cooling down, but I’m working on my form at the same time. Yeah. And I’m working on my leg turnover. It’s not gonna be super fast. But, um, I think that’s another something I really like about my training.

Brad (00:29:51):
So you have these several, a few jogs a week with ending with strides. And then you have some pretty hard work like you mentioned with the, the breakdown of doing work on the track. And how often is that?

Sue (00:30:05):
Twice a week.

Brad (00:30:06):
Okay. Yeah. Twice a week. And this is pretty, pretty boring, like you say. It’s, it’s a consistent in and out.

Sue (00:30:12):
I mean, tho those workouts change, um, you know, I might repeat like that workout I did yesterday, I repeat, I did it in early June. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And sometimes it’s fun to repeat the workout so you can see Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> it improved and I was faster on each interval. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So that was a really good confidence booster for me. Um, because if I just ran, you know, like 0.30 yeah. Seconds from my, my world record and I’m, you know, one to two seconds faster than all my intervals what out compared to a month ago. I’m like, okay, you know, yeah. I should be ready to, to make a breakthrough.

Brad (00:30:46):
So you’re working hard on the track two times a week if someone showed up, I was late. ’cause we, we drove a long way and I didn’t see you there, but I burned up that track later <laugh>. Um, but you, you’d see you’re, you’re, you’re getting after it. And then the other days you’re doing a comfortably paced run with those, those strides at the end, which I think is an important factor. Yeah. And then, um, what else is, uh, mixing in there? I know there’s more. ’cause we, we, we, we fit this podcast in around, let’s see, was it two morning workouts and a couple coming up <laugh>. Oh my gosh.

Sue (00:31:17):
Yeah. No. Um, well, I do lift weights, probably like mostly twice a week. But there’s some runs where I incorporate a few like extreme iso mm-Hmm. <affirmative> isometric moves, um, in between the run. Yeah. So like before and after. Yeah. Um, but for the most part, the longer strength training is two days a week. And so, and that’s something I’ve been doing for years,

Brad (00:31:46):
<laugh>. And this is in a, a proper gym environment With what, what kind of stuff are you doing? Well,

Sue (00:31:50):
I have all the stuff at home. Um, although I did partner with a local gym, a women’s athletic club, so I have the option to go in there. They have, uh, what’s that? The deadlift, the hex bar. Hex bar. Yeah. I have a hex bar. I don’t have a Hex bar home, unfortunately. <laugh>. But I have everything else. So if I just don’t wanna drive over, if I short on time, I’ll just work out at home.

Brad (00:32:14):
And we’ll, we’ll put a plug here for Sue McDonald Fitness Instagram site because you’re showing, uh, some of these cool workout things and they’re, they’re quite, um, creative and it seems like a lot of stuff with mobility and, balance and, and doing things on one leg and all that kind of

Sue (00:32:31):
Yeah. I mean, I can credit Joel Smith from, uh, just Fly sports, uh, podcast. He’s my strength strength training coach. And I’ve been working with him on and off since 2020. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Uh, and I just love the stuff he gives me because, um, like I really don’t get sore, so it’s not like I’m, I remember going, I remember when I was younger in my thirties, like I would do like back squats and I’d have like mm-Hmm. You know, three 50 pounds on there and like, hurt and, you know, just, or doing all these heavy weights and I don’t do that anymore. Yeah. Thank God <laugh>. But I do do, um, Olympic lifts but they’re not heavy. Yeah. You know, it’s more for the speed of the lifts. Um, and yeah, he has me do a lot of things that are really centered on running faster and running stronger. Not a lot of like, you know, really heavy like double leg Yeah. Squats or anything like

Brad (00:33:19):
That. So it’s a pretty precise protocol involving these things that are directed toward your goals and injury prevention. Yeah. I suppose

Sue (00:33:29):
The other thing, uh, with my hip, I, um, consulted with David Gray. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. He’s from Ireland. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, David Gray Rehab. Found him on Instagram and, uh, he’s an amazing guy that created all these programs, like Lower Body Basics, core basics. Um, and he has the ankle, I think I told you about that, the ankle, Achilles and foot program. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, um, I ended up having a consult with him right before the 2019 worlds in Poland because, um, my hip was bothering me. And so he gave me a, like three different exercises to do for my hip. And I did those religiously for like three weeks and my pain was, was really reduced. Wow. Yeah. So I still do those. I slacked off a little bit. Yeah. But now that I’m doing the pole vault again, I, you know, back, back online doing my physical therapy for my hip. But yeah, so it’s takes a lot of time, but

Brad (00:34:22):
It’s fine. Yeah. I’m, I’m so amazed, like at the, um, results, if someone really does find a good sports minded physical therapists, I love my guys in Tahoe PT Revolution and my guy in Sacramento at, at, uh, John, Dr. Jonathan at Chime Physical Therapy. Um, you gotta do the stuff and like, the possibilities of recovering from stuff that we usually see as a path towards surgery and debilitation is, is actually amazing. Yeah. And there’s such a huge difference between a quality practitioner and going to shitty bphysical therapy Yeah. Where they rub the, um, ultrasound on in there and, uh, say, okay, come back next week. Yeah. And I, I really find that most of the results come from, uh, challenging yourself and getting stronger. John, Dr. Jonathan says, if you’re getting strong, you can’t go wrong. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And like, I go in there for my surgically uh, repaired Achilles, and he’s just busting my butt with kettlebells and things, and I’m like, Hey, um, this hurts a little, are you sure it’s okay? He goes, keep going. Two more sets. Quit talking, keep working at it. Yeah. And then over time you get stronger and stronger in the, the pain and the things that so I’m just speaking to the broad audience here, like think bigger than anti-inflammatories rest and gradual demise into, um, wheelchair bound and all that. Yeah. ’cause the, the body’s great at bouncing back. Yeah. I mean, a torn hip labrum is a terrible injury and you’re, you’re, you’re carrying on and, and, and jumping over bars and, and vaulting over bars. It’s, it’s crazy. Yeah.

Sue (00:35:56):
Yeah. I also have a good chiropractor here, Dr. Benjamin Holt. I dunno if you’ve ever heard of him, but he’s, he’s been keeping me in one piece also for like, the past 10 years.

Brad (00:36:05):
<laugh>. Um, so you have a a great team. I have a

Sue (00:36:08):
Great team. Yeah.

Brad (00:36:09):
I mean, mean if you didn’t have that, I wonder how, you know, you’d be, um, I

Sue (00:36:13):
Wouldn’t be able to, I wouldn’t be here

Brad (00:36:15):
Doing, you’d be on some dead ends injury, whatever.

Sue (00:36:18):
I would be, I don’t know, just like bike riding or

Brad (00:36:21):
<laugh>

Sue (00:36:22):
Jogging

Brad (00:36:23):
<laugh>. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That, that’s true. I mean especially in explosive power sport. The, the fine tuning is crazy. And we were talking a little bit about aches and pains and the things that come up and like, I’m, I’m wondering if this stuff will always be there. And you’re like, yeah, maybe. So if you’re sprinting and trying to go fast. Yeah. But I always feel like there’s, you know, it’s sort of like going in and getting an assessment and they say, Hey, can you squat all the way down? And you, you fall back. Well, you, your ankles are inflexible, your hip flexors a week. Yeah. And now there’s something like, really I can get better And there’s always potential to get better. And then go take that to whatever you like to do, including play with the grandchildren on the carpet. Exactly. If that’s not working right now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. So we got the, we got the dream team in place, <laugh>, um, you talked about some of your workout patterns. So you’re going twice a week to the gym, twice a week to the track. A few days of easy jogging. I imagine these are happening on the same day at times. So there’s all this overlap.

Sue (00:37:21):
Well, yeah. Now that I, um, well I was training for the Javelin too, for Nationals <laugh>. It’s kind of a fun event. Um, and uh, so I try to do one workout a week for Javelin, and then I do, um, a hurdle workout once a week, mainly kind of hurdle mobility. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. But I end it with going over like a few hurdles, like the 80 meter hurdles. I try to do that once a week. The 300 hurdles I don’t really practice. I kind of rely on my experience and my 800 meter strength and my 400 meter speed Mm-Hmm. And you can kind of be a little straggly over those hurdles. Mm-Hmm. You don’t have to be as Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> technically sound as if you were doing the short hurdles. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So I think I’ve only practiced over those hurdles, like three spaced out for 300 meter hurdles, like once so far. And I’ll be doing it at nationals and worlds. So

Brad (00:38:13):
<laugh> so fast. <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah. And what about the rest of your, uh, lifestyle here in, in beautiful Santa Barbara? I imagine you’re lot of sleep. And tell us about any other recovery modalities or things that you do to be your best as an athlete. Yeah.

Sue (00:38:30):
I’m, I’m actually really focused on getting seven, eight hours sleep. I probably more towards seven just because it’s, it’s a little hard <laugh>, but I used Michael and I used to own a coffee shop and Oh. And I used to have to open the coffee shop and then, you know, I had little kids at the time, and so I don’t know all those years, like I would just, I got into the habit of only getting like four or five hours of sleep. Oh

Brad (00:38:51):
My gosh. And

Sue (00:38:52):
Then I had all these big goals. I thought, well, you know, I’m learning that you really sleep is like, if you do anything, get enough sleep. Right. So I decided to really focus on getting to bed earlier. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, maybe not drinking the wine I enjoyed with my husband at night. Um, you know, ’cause that interrupts sleep pattern. And, so yeah, getting more sleep, um, doing some recovery. Like, you know, I, I like Epsom Salt baths. Mm-Hmm. Or sore muscles. Mm-Hmm. So if I have a really hard workout, I’ll, I’ll take a couple of Epsom S.alt baths. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, I don’t have a cold plunge. I wish I did <laugh>.

Brad (00:39:27):
Well, you got the ocean.

Sue (00:39:29):
I have ocean. Yes.

Brad (00:39:30):
I actually today it was, um, um, 61.5 I was, was surprised. Yeah.

Sue (00:39:34):
Yeah. I need to do that more often.

Brad (00:39:36):
Yeah. I mean, I got cold after five minutes, but yeah, it was, it was

Sue (00:39:39):
Great. I mean, if I work out at UCSB, it’s right there, right there, ocean’s right there. And then, um, city college, the ocean’s right across the street, so I have no excuse except just remembering to do it. <laugh>. Yeah.

Brad (00:39:49):
Yeah. Yeah. Um, what about your dietary habits and, uh, things like that?

Sue (00:39:55):
Yeah. Dietary habits. Um, I’ve always been pretty much, I’ve been the same like height and wheat <laugh> for a long, long time.

Brad (00:40:01):
Like most Americans, oh, excuse me. Not like most Americans. Yeah. Um, you know what the sta is for? Um, the, the, the American average American gains, um, uh, a pound a year from age 25 to age 65. Wow. And it is the gaining of one and a half pounds of fat and losing a half pound muscle.

Sue (00:40:20):
I believe it.

Brad (00:40:21):
And then at 65, we start to worry about keeping weight on because you start to get sarcopenia and you, you might, you might lose weight and feel, uh, great. That you’re still the same weight. Yeah. But like your, your, your waist size is seven inches bigger than it was in college. <laugh>, that doesn’t count. When we’re talking about Sue’s category here, we’re talking about, you know, fighting weight the whole time.

Sue (00:40:42):
I was blessed with just fast metabolism and my parents were both thin and, yeah. So weight has never been a problem. But, um, as far as nutrition goes I was plant-based for about seven years until a couple years ago. And I started working with Cynthia Monteleon and she had me start eating former

Brad (00:41:01):
Podcast guest listened to that show too. Yes. Fast Over 40 on Instagram. Yes. you say it so nicely and politely, but you told me she like forced you to eat meat or, or she wouldn’t work with you. Yes. I, I’m like, Cynthia, throw down,

Sue (00:41:13):
Actually. Yeah. I kind of had a consult with her and then we were set to work together and then she found out for someone else that I’m plant based and then she called, she like, rumor mill, um, I can’t work with you unless you, you know, eat beef. And I’m like, okay, I’m gonna eat beef then <laugh>. So whatever, you know, not whatever it takes. But, um, yeah. You know, as far as nutrition goes, like, so I thought, oh, you know, I’ll open up the doors for some things that I’ve been missing out on and it’ll be easier to, you know, when you go out to restaurants Mm-Hmm. When you eat meat, so, Mm-Hmm. And it was not a bad transition at all. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> like, my stomach was fine and everything was fine. Um, and yeah, so I just, you know, take the regular, you know, um, vitamins and minerals and I have some protein powder I take. But yeah, I just try to eat, uh, just real food. Um, eat a lot of it, you know, when I, you know, fuel yourself properly. Um, yeah. Just nothing really out of the ordinary.

Brad (00:42:09):
Yeah. That’s interesting. Um, I mean, my listeners know, we’ve talked so many to so many diet experts and different, um, you know, getting deep into protocols like fasting and time-restricted feeding and the ketogenic diet and the primal paleo ancestral diet. And, um, one of my former guests, Lindsay Berra she does a show on, um, like athlete, uh, diets and she’s interviewed top athletes from all these different sports. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, like a PGA tour and National Hockey League and baseball players, and she said that she’s never come across an elite athlete in any sport that engages in a restrictive type diet of any kind. And when I say restrictive, I’m talking about, oh, I’m on a fasting protocol, I’m on the 16 eight and I eat in this little window, or I, I follow the keto diet. There’s that documentary that was, that got a lot of publicity for plant-based elite athletes, but if you, you know, do the research further and examine what’s going on, some of these people are like, you know, had a short term, like LeBron James went keto one summer and lost, you know, 10 pounds of fat.

Brad (00:43:14):
And, he got quicker on the court. But the elite athletes are by and large eating food and fueling and, and, and, and nourishing themselves without dealing with calorie counting and Yeah. Measuring ketones and things like that.

Sue (00:43:29):
Yeah. I don’t weigh, I don’t weigh myself. Um, and like,

Brad (00:43:33):
How do you measure yourself against other athletes by time? <laugh>, that’s a caddy shack reference in case you didn’t get that people Yeah.

Sue (00:43:39):
I, it’s pretty simple for me. But, uh, you know, like I’ll eat a chocolate chip cookie every now and then.

Brad (00:43:45):
Well, you run a 62 every now then also. Yeah. I mean,

Sue (00:43:48):
One of I’m doing is working, so,

Brad (00:43:49):
Yeah. Um, and not to get like kind of, uh, uh, too, uh, tongue in cheek about this stuff, but like, you kind of earn the chocolate chip cookie when you win a national title equal world record, or have a great workout at, at, at City College. And so I think there’s, you know, maybe, uh, a lot of, um, um, you know, obsessing and nitpicking these dietary strategies where we have a whole entire other a side of the, the, the balance scale here, which is go bust out some, some really challenging workouts and push your body to a limit. And there, therefore you’re gonna negate any potential adverse effects of going and having the McConnell’s handmade ice cream, which I’m heading to after this podcast. That’s right. You’re welcome to join me if you eat ice cream. I imagine she probably does.

Brad (00:44:40):
I have to go list ways <laugh> <laugh>. Oh, that’s right after that. But I mean, I, I want to get that out there as kind of like a side note here where, you know, we’re seeing a lot of content about, oh, sugar’s toxic and sugar’s this, and sugar’s that, you know, sugar’s burned in the cell for energy when you’re exercising. If you slam a Slurpee and then sit home on the couch and watch tv, you’re gonna get an adverse spike in your glucose meter and insulin and all these things that are causing the disease patterns. But I think you stand as a great example for like, get out there and work hard people and then, you know, make, make good choices, obviously. Yeah. You’re not gonna perform at a fine level when you’re a chicken McNugget person. But yeah, I,

Sue (00:45:20):
I think you, uh, for people that do struggle with like nutrition, I think you just kind of like gauge how you feel. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> like, if you eat something and you don’t feel that great afterwards, then like, just note that in your brain and Okay, last time I ate that way I kind of bad that, you know? Yeah. Like, I felt this way, you know? So just kind of put those two together and, um, so I just eat so that I feel good. Yeah. And I’m properly fueled and I’m not, I don’t get it right all the time. Like I told you at lunch, I, you know, sometimes I get it wrong and I’m like, oh, I’m really lethargic. Why is that? Like, let me just eat some more food. Oh, I feel great, Allison. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so sometimes you get so busy with the busy lifestyle that you just don’t eat as much as you’re supposed to.

Brad (00:45:59):
I think people kind of maybe do to these, um, you know, these well-intentioned desire to fast for a long period, and then you see them, uh, in line at the convenience store for Ben and Jerry’s later that night. And they’re, they’re just like, they went too far on the side of the, the stress scale of not eating and going through busy life, especially anyone in the athletic realm, like the CrossFit paradigm of, you know, females getting really strong, getting low body fat, doing keto or fasting or other things that are popular in the CrossFit. And they blow out their hormones and they, they start to like become <laugh>, sick, tired, poor recovery, all those things because of too much stress. Right? Yeah,

Sue (00:46:41):
Yeah,

Brad (00:46:41):
Yeah.

Sue (00:46:41):
Keep the stress low.

Brad (00:46:42):
So the, the, the stress level of Sue McDonald’s diet is low is in terms of you enjoy yourself. You’re not detailing, scrutinizing everything, and you’re noticing how you feel. It’s a great, I, I love that tip. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And I think then we get into negative spiral where if you put a lot of junk food in your diet and you feel like crap all the time, that’s your baseline. And then maybe McConnell’s ice cream, you’re gonna feel great for an hour and then have another crash. But it’s like, hey, at least I felt great for an hour. <laugh>. And this seems like a big thing in, in modern life where the exercise isn’t working, the diet’s not working. And so like, you know, we’re at level three trying to go to level three and a half once in a while with an ice cream. Yeah. Instead of going level, level 10 would be world record level. Do you ever sit back and like, reflect that no female in the history of the world has done what you’re doing at this age?

Sue (00:47:36):
Not really. I just kind of keep focusing on how I can get better. Like, I think I could get better <laugh>. No. Yeah. And so I’m love it. I mean, I’m, I’m just never satisfied, you know, with, because I still think I have more in me. Yeah. Um, yeah. At this age, my big, my big goal now is to run my age in the 400 meters. So,

Brad (00:47:56):
And we were looking that up on the charts and it’s like one, one woman has done it in history or something?

Sue (00:48:01):
No, there’s been several. Oh, then a handful. Okay. Um, a few, you know, less females than males.

Brad (00:48:07):
So running your age people would be, when you’re counting 400 meter time, I kept saying 62. That’s a minute, two seconds. So 62 seconds. 62 years old. Wait, you’re

Sue (00:48:17):
Well, yes. Up 61. So Oh,

Brad (00:48:19):
61 ran a 62.

Sue (00:48:21):
I ran 60. Oh my gosh. 60.18 last time. Oh my gosh. I ran my, my season best. And so, um, yeah, so I’m pretty close and I think I’m, if I do it, I might be the youngest woman. Oh,

Brad (00:48:34):
Okay. So that’d be pretty cool. Do you know what the youngest man is?

Sue (00:48:37):
I don’t.

Brad (00:48:38):
This is fascinating. ’cause we know from like, just for reference, the world records for males, 43 flat females. Well, uh, I’m gonna say 48 something as a true female world record, but think about the age of the person. No 43 year old’s ever gonna run a 43 or, or female. And so we have to get to this sweet spot, which you could be identifying the sweet spot right now. Yes. because when you’re 70, running is 70, I think is gonna be that that could be, that’d be hard. Too much to ask for.

Sue (00:49:07):
I think once you hit 70, you know, it might be hard to do. Yeah. Those types of things.

Sue (00:49:10):
So best of luck too. You do, you have a couple years left and then, you know what a,

Brad (00:49:15):
What a goal though. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. You, you, you knock it off anytime <laugh>.

Sue (00:49:19):
Yeah. Yeah. And my other goal is to, um, run like two 20 in the 800. I’ve been chasing two 20 since I came on the scene in like 2018. Yeah. So I thought, and all my coaches thought I could run 220 in the 800 and I just never have. And so I thought, well, I’ve got 2 22, maybe I’ll do 2 21. If I ever do 220, then maybe I will retire. ’cause <laugh Like, Okay, I’m done.

Brad (00:49:46):
<laugh>. That. That’s, that’s amazing. Well, as I told you, I could pace you because in my last 800 I went out and 110 took me one minute and 22 to do the next laugh. I got a little too ambitious, but I could certainly be one of those, one of those, uh, pacers that we see. Definitely

Sue (00:50:03):
That first lap.

Brad (00:50:05):
Yeah. Um, yeah, that’s just for reference. Like1 I just watched the CIF high school masters meet. So the best girls in the state in California and high school are, they’re, they’re, they’re under 220. The, the fastest ones are, are quite a bit faster. Yeah. But like, if you’re running, you’re like an elite high school runner at age 61. Crazy.

Sue (00:50:28):
Yeah. I still run with the college meets. Um, oh, yeah, yeah.

Brad (00:50:31):
Yeah. How’s that? What’s

Sue (00:50:32):
That like, invitationals? Yeah. Um, if they have, it’s usually the big invitationals will have like a ton of kids. Yeah. And, so usually like the division two, division three, um, athletes I can kind of like, keep up with. And so my goal is usually don’t get lost. Um, so Yeah. And everyone knows me now. Like I come to all the meets and Right. Right. People are really starting to get to know me. Um, which is kind of fun. Uh,

Brad (00:50:53):
So you get a, you get a positive reaction from the girls I do. And the coaches I do, you know. Yeah.

Sue (00:50:57):
So, yeah. It’s, it’s fun. Yeah. They’re inspired to see someone my age still still doing it. Wow. You know? So

Brad (00:51:04):
That’s super cool. It’s fun. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and so you’re gonna keep improving every year. What does Terry say about like year seven? Does he have any, any,

Sue (00:51:15):
I’m gonna have to ask him about year four because he is several years to me. Yeah. So I’ll have to say what’s our plan year four? Yeah.

Brad (00:51:21):
Do you feel like any, um, you know, effects of your chronological age at this point? Like,

Sue (00:51:28):
I don’t really <laugh>. I don’t, I mean, I’m maybe

Brad (00:51:34):
You don’t get sore.

Sue (00:51:36):
I do get sore. Yeah. But I might be a little more creaky like things Yeah. You know, um, yeah.

Brad (00:51:42):
But then you go on your own Instagram and look at some of those exercises to get to get Rey. Yeah.

Sue (00:51:48):
Yeah. Um, yeah. No, I, I really feel a lot younger than I am. I just, I feel great. Yeah. Yeah.

Brad (00:51:55):
I mean, you’re racing in college meets, so you gonna have to feel younger when you’re on the in Yeah. In late seven. Believe

Sue (00:52:01):
Me. Sometimes I, if I really start to think about it, I’ll say to myself, what am I doing here? These are, these kids are like younger than my youngest or about as young as my youngest son, you know, <laugh>. So sometimes I feel like, oh, I shouldn’t be here. But they’re like, no, I’m, you know, I could run just as fast as these people. Yeah. So I should be here. <laugh>.

Brad (00:52:22):
I mean, that’s what’s so awesome about track and field is it’s, you know, it’s the clock. There’s no schmoozing or, you know, being in a place that you don’t belong. Yeah. You, you got your seed time, you’re in the meet.

Sue (00:52:34):
Some of them meet directors and coaches at some of these colleges are still there from when I was saying like, or post-collegiate,

Brad (00:52:42):
Or you’re typing a note. Like, hi, can I enter the high jump please. Yeah. It’s so funny. It’s Sue from 86, remember me. Yeah. Right.

Sue (00:52:49):
Yeah. It’s so funny because there’s some coaches that are still coaching three years ago, three years

Brad (00:52:53):
Later. It’s impressive. Yeah. Yeah. What are, what do your, uh, what do your friends think? Like your peer group? I know you, you had your, you introduced me to your college team.

Sue (00:53:02):
Yeah. They think I’m crazy <laugh>.

Brad (00:53:04):
Yeah.

Sue (00:53:04):
They think I’m crazy for, you know, for, I mean, they’re, they’re, you know, supportive and everything, but they’re just like, they don’t know how you’re doing this. Yeah. You know, if they, they can’t, they’re not, there’s no way that they would wanna even try to do it. Mm-Hmm. You know, just, um, and also I, you know, it’s, you have to have a supportive spouse. So shout out to my husband Michael, to put up with all,

Brad (00:53:26):
Well, come on, you’re, you’re a seven time IronMan, spouse Yes. Support person. I know that requires a lot of patience and time and energy. Especially at the, at the, at the event. Yeah. Yeah. I, I used to announce Iron Man races and, um, I did one with, with no backup announcers. I was announcing for 17 hours straight. Oh my gosh. And like, I started to get punchy at the end and I was, I was doing like, you know, I’d get on the PA and go attention all athletes, attention all athletes please report to the finish line immediately. Everyone’s getting tired. We want to go to sleep. <laugh>. Oh man. That’s funny. But yeah, there’s a lot of downtime there is.

Sue (00:54:00):
I, and I supported him when we first met. That’s, you know, how we met. Yeah, yeah. With the triathlon. And so I went to a bunch of his races and stuff, and actually I signed up for the Canadian Ironman. Ooh. And then, um, we got pregnant. And so I had the baby six weeks before. Still did it. Oh geez. Only the swim always. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, ’cause I couldn’t figure out how I could breastfeed on the bike and the run <laugh>.

Brad (00:54:21):
Yeah, that’s right. You’d be out there missing some spots. Geez. Yeah.

Sue (00:54:24):
Yeah. So, um, and then one of those, I think the one before Michael proposed to me at the finish line. Oh, no way. The Canadian,

Brad (00:54:31):
Oh, in Canada. Wow. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. But anyway,

Sue (00:54:34):
Like he, it’s

Brad (00:54:35):
Like, so you guys have seen the, um, you’ve seen the YouTube video where the guy gets down on his knees at the Ironman finish line and he cramps. Have you seen that? No. Okay, Michael, I want you to right now go look that up. You will die if he proposed to you at the finish line. This guy like gets down and his hamstring cramps. Oh my God. And so the, the meds have to come and he’s, you know, he is on his, on his back. And then he stepped up and he, he raised the ring while they were, you know, that’s funny. Treating him. Yeah.

Sue (00:55:02):
No, I am sure he is half dead though. But, um, but yeah, so yeah, I mean, if I had someone who wasn’t an athlete and didn’t really understand, you know, why I wanna go for these goals and stuff and support me, you know, there’s no way I could do what I have done.

Brad (00:55:18):
Well, I just think, you know, for everybody, like we need these passions and these hobbies, especially at this age where, you know, maybe things are settled down when one is in their sixties. Typically, if they raise kids, those kids are probably adult age. And like, I’ve, I’ve hit this point in my life where like, I was coaching so hard from, from third grade to high school that I didn’t have a second to spare for my own. Like, you know, I, I didn’t, wasn’t worried about anything except for, except for, you know, beating the kids in, in basketball, soccer, and, and in track. I just wanted to kick their butt at every practice. And that was, that was my thing. And then when it was over, like my son was really helpful. He s after one of the basketball practices where I, I was showing off and doing my know look passes, he goes, dad, you should join a basketball league for people your own age instead of hot talking with our, and during our practices.

Brad (00:56:06):
I’m like, you know, that’s a good idea idea. So I went, I went and did some adult basketball and all that stuff. But, um, so I asked you what your, what your friends and your, your, your peers stop at. Like when you get to the meets and you see the other gals in the, in the thirties and the forties and Cynthia’s in her in in the 40 fives or whatever. What do you see like some common, um, you know, themes and mindsets and, and and personality types there, where these, these people are overcoming a lot of, um, resistance? ’cause there’s not a lot of masters female track clubs around where they have practice three days a week. Yeah. They’re kind of on their own in a lot of ways. Yeah. But they’re there doing it. Yeah.

Sue (00:56:45):
I mean there’s, like, I, when I did the Decathlon Nationals a few years ago, um, the women, I got to know the women. You know, usually when you do the combined sport or combined events, competitions, you really get to know your competitors. And there’s not a whole lot of people in the same age groups. Like, I think I was the only person in my age group. And, um, but you know, we sat around and we’re talking to the other ladies who were anywhere from their forties to their, in their seventies. And, uh, they all been competing and for like, many, many years together. And even though they’re in different age groups and stuff, they’re just like the best of friends. They’ll get hotels together and share their costs. They might train on their own. Most of ’em train on their own. Right.

Sue (00:57:28):
But anyway, just watching the friendships blossom and, and throughout the years and going to nationals is like a reunion, you know, every time you go to nationals or regionals, it’s kinda like a reunion. Yeah. But yeah, it’s, it’s just the common theme is friendships and camaraderie and just, you know, you have a mutual respect for them because you know how hard it is to like, be so active and to get to the start line, just anyone who gets to a start line. Yeah. I have total respect for that because it’s scary, you know, it’s really scary and you have to overcome that fear. Um, not everyone’s scared, but I’m sure a lot of people are scared.

Brad (00:58:06):
I’m going to wrap up with some, some, some deep questions for you about, you know, nervousness in your, your competitive mindset. And like going back to college when you were, you know, and, and trying to qualify for the Olympic trials. Like, did you get nervous then? Do you get the same nervous now? Is it a positive energy? Do you kind of dread it sometimes? Like where do you, where do you fall on those scales? Yeah. Have you worked on that, like with another performance coach or her seventh coach that she’s gonna mention name dropping on the podcast?

Sue (00:58:38):
I do have another person I work with, but yeah. I mean, oh my gosh, I suffered so much in high school. Like I, you know, in the high jump specifically, uh, I,

Brad (00:58:47):
So much pressure.

Sue (00:58:48):
I would cry almost every meet because I really wanted to jump five feet. And I was always jumping 4 10, 4 11 and, and, and then in college I was just so wrapped up in high jump. And it’s such a hard event because, you know, you’re always ending in a, in a fail, you know, <laugh> unless you go out,

Brad (00:59:05):
Unless Mauche clears it and then retire. Yeah.

Sue (00:59:09):
You just retire. Yeah. Um, so, and you know, going over a barrier. Um, so I wish I knew now what you know then what I know now. ’cause I have worked on it a lot. And, um, I’ve, you know, done my own studying on mental Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> the mental part of training. And especially with all the events that I do, um, I do go through and do visualization. I do breathing techniques to make sure that I’m, if I’m too anxious, like at the Olympic trials, you know, that was a little scary, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Okay. You know, you’re at the Olympic trials and you’ve got, you know, more people who’ve ever Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> than ever before have been, are in the crowds. And, but you know, I just, I know how to do these certain breathing techniques and it just calls my heart rate. And then it’s just, you just think it’s just another meet <laugh>, you know, the track is just another track. So there’s a lot of different ways you can go about like, you know, if you’re anxious to calm yourself down.

Brad (01:00:04):
Yeah. I mean they, people say that a lot, like, just pretend it’s just another meet. And now I’ve also heard people second guess that ’cause like, it’s not just another me and you can’t really trick yourself. So Yeah. If you said like, this is the biggest meet of my life. That’s true. It’s kind of a weird situation, but,

Sue (01:00:20):
And I have been, I have been in this sport for a long time, so I have experienced a lot of big meets. Yeah. So I do have that to draw back on. Yeah. but the other thing that helps me is breaking things down into little processes. You’ve probably heard that a lot. So like my 800 was not 800. It was, you know, two hundreds, you know. Oh sure. Yeah. Or two hundreds. So what do I do? I have a plan for each 200.

Brad (01:00:42):
So Yeah. Well also like getting there and changing from your shoes to your spikes and doing this and doing that. Yeah. So everything’s like broken down is

Sue (01:00:49):
Pretty, um, pretty crazy, you know, with, uh, lots of nervous tension uhhuh and you’re watching all the people that you’re gonna be competing against, especially at Worlds and stuff. It’s like, you know, you’re watching everyone else, they’re watching you. Someone might start doing a stretch. You’re like, oh, should I do be doing that stretch? Oh,

Brad (01:01:05):
Oh boy, the posturing. Yeah. Yeah,

Sue (01:01:06):
Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I have learned a lot over the years and, um, I feel really, I’m in a really good place. I do work with Sarah Green Falk, who is a sports coach and met like on the mental side of things. And, uh, so we meet a couple times a month and she kinda helps me get everything straight. Yeah. And, uh, you know, I was really proud of myself at the trials. Whatever I did, you know, made me calm enough to, you know, execute the strategy. Yeah. I came up a little bit short with the world record, but I was proud that I gave it my all and yeah. Everything worked out the way it did.

Brad (01:01:40):
So, I mean, that’s, um, that’s pretty intense. I mean, people the Masters 800 came on the track in the stadium with the Olympic trials. So you, when you say you were at the Olympic trials, you were racing on the track Yes. At the Olympic trials. Yep.

Sue (01:01:55):
Hayward Field

Brad (01:01:56):
<laugh>. Um, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna mess with your head too much, but like, I have to ask this question ’cause I’ve never been in this vision. Like, you’re kind of a heavy favorite when you’re going to worlds. And does that change like the dynamics and put more pressure on you? I mean, you, you said that you’re thinking about improving and getting better. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. But like, the reality is like, oh, the reality is it’s a big meat no matter what you say. If it’s just another beat, it’s like a game you play. But like, also that aspect of like, you’re coming in with the target on your back, so to speak.

Sue (01:02:27):
Yeah. Um, let’s see. Well, and also I could,

Brad (01:02:31):
I wanna hear like a Kerri type answer now. Like That’s right. Here’s a target. Here it is.

Speaker 4 (01:02:36):
Come and get it. I’m the best. Here comes Sue from Santa Barbara. You wanna throw down? Let’s go. You wanna run one tens? I’ll run one

Brad (01:02:42):
Tens

Sue (01:02:42):
<laugh>.

Brad (01:02:42):
Yeah,

Sue (01:02:43):
Yeah. No, I’m not quite like, you wanna take

Speaker 4 (01:02:44):
It outta 1 0 8? Let’s go 1 0 8.

Brad (01:02:46):
Yeah.

Sue (01:02:47):
I’m gonna win no matter what. <laugh>, um, no, uh, now I lost my train of thought. Okay. So

Brad (01:02:51):
Yeah. Yeah. So if you’re heavy favorite. Yeah. Like is it a dynamic that you have to deal with and like, cope with at some point? Or just like,

Sue (01:02:59):
I don’t think so. I think that, uh, I think that I, I have to fight the pressure that I wanna put, that I could put put on myself because I’ve never been a world champion. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> I’ve gotten third times, you know, but I’ve never won gold at a world championship. And that’s my goal is to become a world champion once or twice or maybe more. Yeah. ’cause I’m, I’m in quite a few events, So yeah. So that’s, and I, I, but I can’t really focus on that because, you know, that could get in my head. Yeah. So what I focus on is just again, process. Like I break down every single, if it’s a run, you know, I’ll break down, you know, 400 or the 800, I’ll, I’ll break down the, the pole vault, you know, um, high jump. Yeah. Just break everything down and just focus on one or two little things.

Brad (01:03:47):
I think that’s a great attitude. Great suggestion. You know, best of luck to you and if you break your world record and you have a two second PR and you’re, you’re second and leaned out by somebody, I think you’re probably gonna be super satisfied. Oh, definitely. And try for the next meet. Yeah. You know,

Sue (01:04:03):
A total respect for that person. <laugh>.

Brad (01:04:05):
Yeah. Whoever that, that mythical made up hypothetical. 61-year-old female that’s going, uh, uh, you know, give her grief on the home stretch. But hey, you know, you never know if she’s out there. Come on out, come on out. You never

Sue (01:04:16):
Know. Everyone’s training. There’s some people that we don’t know how the training’s going and you, you never know. Someone might come outta nowhere. Yeah.

Brad (01:04:23):
Yeah. Sue McDonald, people, from Santa Barbara. So nice to catch up. You good luck. And all the, for me, thanks for following all seven accounts that we mentioned during the show. You’re gonna be full up with great information. And that’s a wrap. Thank you so much for listening to the B.rad Podcast. We appreciate all feedback and suggestions. Email, podcast@bradventures.com and visit brad kearns.com to download five free eBooks and learn some great long cuts to a longer life. How to optimize testosterone naturally. Become a dark chocolate connoisseur and transition to a barefoot and minimalist shoe lifestyle.

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